A Comparison of Amateur Radio

Digital Voice Systems

presented by

Roland Kraatz W9HPX

Charlotte Digital Radio Group

July 27, 2015

Topics

• Digital voice description

• Technical comparison

• Operational features

• Programmability

• Radio choices

• Charlotte DV repeaters

• Information sources

• Q & A See p30 April 2015 QST

What is Digital Voice?

• Digital data modulating an RF carrier

• The data is digitized audio from an A/D converter

• It is processed through a vocoder to compress the

data and add forward error correction

• The data is sent serially in uniform length packets

• Header data is pre-pended to provide sync bits,

routing instructions and user identity

• Other data is often interleaved or substituted for the

voice to send text, pictures or other files

Pictorial view

Tech Spec ComparisonD-STAR DMR Fusion

Vocoder (see note) AMBE+ AMBE+2 AMBE+2

Forward Error Corr. Voice Only Voice Only Voice Only

Modulation GMSK 4FSK C4FM

Multiplex Method FDMA TDMA FDMA

Transmission Rate 4.8 kbps 4.8 kbps x 2 9.6 kbps

Bandwidth 6.25 kHz 12.5 kHz 12.5 kHz

Channels supported 1 2 1

Standard Developer JARL ETSI Yaesu

GMSK = Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying

4FSK = 4-level Frequency Shift Keying

C4FM = Continuous 4-level Frequency Modulation

FDMA = Frequency Division Multiple Access

TDMA = Time Division Multiple Access

Note: Newer radios implement the vocoder in the DSP chip

Bandwidth Comparison

User Identification

D-STAR DMR Fusion

Registration required? Yes Yes No

User identity Call sign Subscriber ID Call sign

ID displayed on radio’s display Call sign Subscriber ID* Call sign

Other text display options 4 characters

20 characters No No

Adequate for FCC ID? Yes† No Yes†

* Call sign displayed if the receiving station’s subscriber ID is in the

radio’s contact list; otherwise subscriber ID appears.

† IDing by voice is still a good idea for the benefit of everyone listening.

Repeater Connectability

D-STAR DMR Fusion

Talk locally Yes Yes Yes

Link to another repeater Yes No No

Multi-repeater connection Reflectors Talk Groups WIRES-X Rooms

Selection method UR entry Channel Dial Room name

Route to another ham Yes No No

Echo test Yes Yes No

Request link status Yes No No

Radio Operating FeaturesD-STAR DMR Fusion

Memory selection Dial or GPS search Key Press Dial

Repeater connection selection Dial Dial Key press

Mode selection method Key press Fixed in

memory

Key press *

Radio programming complexity Difficult/Easy ◊ Difficult Easy

Newbie learning curve Steep Fairly easy Fairly easy

User manual pages - older HT 131 (IC-91) 65 (CS-700) 247 (FT-1DR)

User manual pages - newer HT 425 (ID-51) 340 (FT-2DR)

* Fusion radios have AMS (automatic mode select)

◊ Older D-STAR radios are more difficult to program. Newer

ones are pre-programmed, but must be updated as repeaters

change.

Signal Readability

FM D-STAR DMR Fusion *

Voice naturalness Good Good Good Narrow – good

Wide - very good

Signal noise Varies None None None

Sync robustness N/A Fair Good Good

Sync recoverability N/A Poor Best Best

* Fusion has two bandwidth voice modes. Wide sounds slightly

better than narrow.

Sync robustness is the tendency to fall out of sync

Sync recoverability is the ability to recover sync quickly

The opinions shown here are highly subjective. Your opinion

may differ.

Networking Characteristics• D-STAR

− User control capability – substantial

− Networking options – G2, D-Plus, ircDDB

− Innovation ability – many efforts and accomplishments

• DMR

− Centrally controlled structure – inflexible

− Networking options – c-bridge, hytera

− Innovation ability – limited, but not impossible

• Fusion

− Yaesu controlled servers – inflexible

− Networking options – WIRES-X

− Innovation ability – limited, but Hams are just getting

started

D-STAR HT’s

ID-31A

• Single band (70cm)

• 5W

• uSD card record

• 500 memories

• Internal GPS

• Repeater geo search

• $295 new

ID-51A Plus

• Dual band

• 5W

• uSD card record

• 1300 memories

• Internal GPS

• Repeater geo search

• $450 new

D-STAR Mobile’s

Older – ID-880H

• Dual band

• 50W

• 1050 memories

• $420 new

Newer – ID-5100A

• Dual band Touch Screen

• 50W

• 1000 + 1500 DR memories

• Internal GPS & DPRS

• SD card recording

• Repeater geo search

• $600 new

DMR HT’s

MotoTrbo – XPR-7550

• 440 MHz band

• 4W

• Color screen

• 1000 channels

• $ 700 new

Hytera PD782G-U1

• 440 MHz band

• 4W

• Color screen

• 1024 channels

• $ 545 new

DMR HT’s (cont.)

Connect Systems – CS700

• 440 MHz band

• 4W

• 1000 memories

• Chinese copy

of XPR6550

• $ 200 new

DMR Mobile’s

MotoTrbo - XPR-5550

• 440 MHz band

• 40W

• 1000 channels

• Color screen

• $ 600 new

Hytera – MD782G-U1

• 440 MHz band

• 45W

• 1024 channels

• Color screen

• $ 530 new

System Fusion HT’s

Yaesu – FT-1DR

• Dual band

• 5W

• Automatic Mode Select

• 900 memories

• GPS & APRS

• $300 new

Yaesu - FT-2DR (new)

• Dual band

• 5W

• Automatic Mode Select

• 1245 memories

• GPS & APRS

• Touch screen

• $550 new

System Fusion Mobile

Yaesu – FT-400DR

• Dual band

• 50W

• Automatic Mode Select

• 1000 memories

• GPS & APRS

• Color Touch screen

• $500 new

Yaesu – FT-100DR (new)

• Dual band

• 50W

• Automatic Mode Select

• 1000 memories

• GPS & APRS

• $400 new

Base Stations

ICOM – IC-7100

• HF + 6M – 100W

• 2M - 50W + 70 cm - 35W

• 1600 memories

• GPS

• Touch screen

• $1,100 new

Yaesu – FT-991

• HF + 6M – 100W

• 2 & 70 cm – 50W

• Color TFT display

• Automatic antenna tuner

• Automatic Mode Select

• 1000 memories

• GPS & APRS

• $1,600 new

Other Digital Voice Suppliers

DV Dongle

• Internet Labs

• D-STAR on your PC

• $200 new

Thumb DV

• Northwest Digital Radio

• D-STAR on your PC

• Uses AMBE 3000

• Other modes?

• $120 new

Other Digital Voice Devices

DV Access Point

• Internet Labs

• Hotspot repeater

• Single band

• 2M $240 new

70 cm $260 new

DV Mega

• Guus van Dooren PE1PLM

• Hotspot repeater

• Dual band

• $180 new

Not near a D-STAR Repeater?

Make your own – with this…

Or this…

Or something not yet available…

DV4mini for DMR and D-STAR – 100 euro, available August

Raspberry Pi G4KLX GUI

D-RATS

For More Information• www.charlottedstar.org - This is our web site. Register for D-STAR here.

• groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/clt-dstar/infoThis is our Yahoo group, but search for other Yahoo groups of interest such as D-STAR, Fusion, DMR, Connect Systems, etc. There’s many.

• www.dstar101.com

• www.dstarinfo.com

• www.dstarusers.org

• www.maryland-dstar.org - for Raspberry Pi enthusiasts

• www.ncprn.net - Web site for our area DMR repeaters & code plugs.

• www.dmr-marc.net

• www.trbo.org

• www.trinityos.com/HAM/Yaesu-System-Fusion/Yaesu-fusion-and-c4fm-v7.pdf - Talk given by David Ranch KI6ZHD at 2015 Bay-Net meeting.

• arvideonews.com/hrn/ - Ham Radio Now – watch episodes 161 & 195

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOYio06rsuo – John Hays K7VE

Charlotte Area Digital Voice Repeater Locations

A – Spencer Mt. – D-STAR (70cm), DMR (70cm Hytera)

B – Hood Rd. – D-STAR (2M & 70cm & 23cm), Fusion (70cm)

C – Wingate – D-STAR (70cm), DMR (70cm)

D – Crowder’s Mt. – D-STAR (23cm), DMR (70cm), NexEdge (70cm)

E – Charlotte – DMR (70cm)

F – Shelby – D-STAR (2m & 70cm)

G – Charlotte (Dallas) DMR (33cm)

Questions?

Roland, W9HPX

first licensed 1959

w9hpx@arrl.net

Art, W9HPX (SK)

first licensed 1933

my Elmer